Silhouette ornamentation on articles of manufacture



Mar-ch 1934- A. s. DONALDSON 1,950,230

SILHOUETTE ORNAMENTATION ON ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE Filed July 20. 1932 Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNETED STATES SILHDUETTE QRNAMENTATION N ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE Alfred S. Donaldson, Newark, N. J., assignor to Dupont Viscoloid Company, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Bclaware Application July 20, 1932, Serial No. 623,556

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the ornamentation of articles of toilet were or other similar articles, and particularly to the ornamentation of such articles as are made from celluloid or similar sheet material comprising layers of contrasting colors.

t is the general object of my invention to provide an improved silhouette ornamentation, together with an improved method of producing such ornamentation.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig. l is a back View of a hand mirror embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. l but with the silhouette member omitted;

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views to be described, and

Fig. 5 is a face view of the silhouette member.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown my invention embodied in a hand mirror having a body portion 10, a handle 11 and a beveled mirror glass 12. The body portion 10 and handle 11 are preferably made from single piece of cellulose nitrate or celluloid, and usually comprises two or more separate layers, as 20 and 21, of sharply contrasting colors, said layers being permanently cemented or otherwise secured together to form a unitary sheet material.

The edges of the article may be beveled as indicated at 24 and the article may be of any desired outline, these features forming no part of my present invention.

In providing a silhouette ornamentation for 43 the article above described, I produce a recess 30 in the surface of the article as indicated in Fig. 2. This recess may be formed in any desired manner, as by the use of a milling or routing cutter, and preferably extends entirely through an outer layer 20 of the body portion, thereby exposing the second layer 21, which may be of a contrasting color.

After cutting the recess 30, the bottom surface 32 (Fig. 3) of the recess is preferably roughened by a die or other suitable tool so as to produce a dull or matted surface which provides a background efiect when contrasted with the usually polished surfaces of the body portion 10 and silhouette member S.

This silhouette member S is commonly formed by a punch or press operation and the outline corresponds closely to the outline of the recess 30, so that the silhouette member will lit snugly in said recess when assembled therein.

ihe silhouette member may obviously be of any desired design and is out out or perforated in certain portions, as indicated at 33, thereby exposing portions of the background 32 when assembled in position.

Having prepared the recess 30 and the silhouette member S as above described, the back of the silhouette member is coated with a suitable cement or celluloid solvent and the silhouette member is then pressed into the recess 30, where it will be firmly retained by the setting of the ce- 71:- ment or by the evaporation or" the solvent. The edges of the silhouette member S closely abut the side walls of the recess 30 and the joint or opening between these parts is scarcely noticeable when the silhouette member S and layer 20 are 75 of the same material and of equal thickness.

The silhouette ornamentation thus formed is highly satisfactory and stands out sharply in contrast to the background formed by the bottom of the recess 30, particularly when this back" ground is roughened or matted as previously described.

Where is desired to even more effectively conceal the line of jointure between the edge of the layer 20 and the silhouette member S, a sheet of thin metal foil may be placed over the silhouette member and over the adjacent portions of the layer 29, which foil is then pressed firmly against these surfaces by a heated die in the customary manner.

In this way portions 40, 41 and 42 of the thin metal foil are caused to adhere to the toilet article, thus producing an ornamental metallic effect as indicated at 4:6 or 422 and also effectively concealing the line or joint between the silhouette member and the body portion as indicated at 41.

When the ornamentation is thus completed by the application of metallic ioil, it is impossible to detect any joint or opening between the parts, and the silhouette has the effect of being cut directly in the substance of the body layer 20, which result could be attained directly only at great expense.

In some cases, the silhouette member may be formed of a material contrasting either in substance or color with the layer 20.

While I have shown the invention embodied in an article of toilet ware, its use and advantages are not limited thereto, and it may be employed to advantage in other articles of manufacture having surfaces to which silhouette ornamentation may be applied.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but What I claim is:-

1. An article of manufacturahaving a body portion formed of contrasting layers of material and having a surface to be ornamented, said body portion having a recess in said surface extending through an. outer layer of said body portion and. exposing an under layer, a silhouette member formed of a material contrasting in appearance with said under layer of material forming the bottom of said recess, said silhouette member having a plurality of openings therein and being seated in said recess and closely abutting the side walls thereof, and means to permanently secure said parts together with said under layer disclosed through said openings.

2. An article of manufacture, having a body portion with a surface to be ornamented and having a recess in said surface, a silhouette member formed of a material contrasting in appealance with the bottom of said recess and having a plurality of openings therein, said member being seated in said recess and closely abutting the side Walls thereof, means to secure said parts permanently together, and linear strips or metal foil covering and concealing the line of meeting of said parts and forming portions of an ornamental design on said surface.

3. An article of manufacture, having a body portion formed of contrasting layers of material and having a surface to be ornamented, said body portion having a recess in said surface extending through an outer layer of said body portion and exposing the under layer, and said under layer at the bottom of said recess being roughened to produce a background effect, a silhouette member formed of a material contrasting in appearance with said under layer of material forming the bottom of said recess, said silhouette member havinging a plurality of openings therein and being seated in said recess and closely abutting the side Walls thereof, and means to permanently secure said parts together with said under layer disclosed through said openings.

4. An article of manufacture, having a body portion with a surface to be ornamented and having a recess in said surface with the bottom of said recess roughened to produce a background effect, a silhouette member formed of a material contrasting in appearance with the bottom of said recess and having a plurality of openings therein, said member being seated in said recess and closely abutting the side walls thereof, means to secure said parts permanently together, and linear strips of metal foil covering and concealing the line of meeting of said parts and forming portions of an ornamental design on said surface.

5. The method of producing a silhouette ornamentation on an article of manufacture having a body portion formed of contrasting layers which comprises cutting a recess through an outer layer of said body portion to expose an under layer, separately forming a silhouette member having openings therethrough and with the edges thereof fitting closely adjacent the side wall of said recess, placing said member in said recess, and securing said member therein with the contrasting surface of said under layer exposed through the openings in said silhouette member.

6. The method of producing a silhouette ornamentation on an article of manufacture as set forth in claim 1, in which the bottom surface of said recess is roughened to produce a background effect before the silhouette member is assembled therewith.

'7. The method of producing a silhouette ornamentation on an article of manufacture which comprises cutting a recess in a surface thereof, separately forming a silhouette member with a plurality of openings, fitting said member in said recess with the edges thereof disposed closely adjacent the side walls of said recess, permanently securing said parts together, and covering and concealing the line of meeting of said parts by the application of linear strips of metal foil, which in themselves form part of an ornamental de- :1

sign on said surface.

ALFRED S. DONALDSON.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 1,950, 230. March 6, I934.

ALFRED S. DONALDSON.

it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 105, claim 6, for the claim number "1" read 5; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signe and sealed this 15th day of May, A. D. 1934.

Bryan M. Battey (Sea!) Acting Commissioner of Patents 

